Safety and Comfort in Commercial Vehicles
Less pitching and rolling
The majority of all road accidents with commercial vehicles are due to driving errors. So what is required is the kind of technology that relieves the driver and, thus, increases safety in road traffic.
Always damped as needed
Increased safety thanks to better stabilization: CDC dampers
The variable damper systems CDC (Continuous Damping Control) and PDC (Pneumatic Damping Control) significantly reduce body movement and rolling motion of the road tractor and trailer. Thus, the pitching and rolling motions of the driver's cab are reduced to a minimum. One positive effect shows in particular during braking and starting maneuvers as pitching of the cab is reduced. This brings about many advantages in terms of vehicle stability and increases safety for freight and driver. This capability is superbly demonstrated by an articulated truck carrying out double lane changes, with the tractor unit fitted with CDC on one run and without CDC on the other. A little cab motion when the vehicle pulls away and when it brakes, but the bounce has practically disappeared. Gear shifts produce hardly any pitch or roll of the cab. The variable suspension and cab damping adjusts precisely to the AS Tronic gear shifts, with which it is networked, by applying targeted, controlled damping to compensate for the cab motion produced by the fall and rise of engine torque before and after the gear shifts.
Faster shifting without loss of comfort
The ability to damp the pitching and rocking motion during gear shifting, provided by the suspension and cab CDC, produces a further benefit: it enables the AS Tronic to change the shift strategy. The engine torque transmitted to the drivetrain can be reduced or increased quicker, without any loss of comfort. This allows the transmission to change up earlier – with positive effects on average speed and consumption, particularly when climbing. By networking the AS Tronic and CDC damping, gear changes under difficult conditions are faster, taking place within 0.2 and 0.3 seconds. The end effect is improved economy with no loss of comfort.
Further information
Contact
Annika Dingler
Trade Press Commercial Vehicles
Tel. +49 7541 77-7767
Fax. +49 7541 77-90 7767
E-mail:
annika.dingler@zf.com
